Mapping the Distribution of Tsetse Flies in Eastern Uganda

Abstract

This study demonstrates the ability of GIS and Remote Sensing in capturing spatial-temporal data on land use and land cover classes. The nine land cover classes captured were Built-up area, Secondary forests, Savannah, Grasslands, and Shrublands containing herbaceous, Rain-fed shrub crops, Fresh water swamps, Water bodies, and Farmlands. The remote sensed imageries also displayed how the land use and land cover classes changed between 1986 and 2001, while helping to identify the suitability of the land cover classes for tsetse fly habitation. In this paper, the authors demonstrate that GIS and remote sensing coupled with statistical analyses could help immensely in mapping tsetse habitats. Results show that the tsetse fly habitat area in Eastern Uganda has been decreasing with time due to the increase in the Savannah and grassland land cover types and urbanization.